Vaxxas recognised by WEF for vaccine tech

Vaccine technology company Vaxxas has been named a 2015 Technology Pioneer by the World Economic Forum.

The company won the award - one of 24 handed out for the year - for the innovative needle-free vaccine delivery technology it is seeking to commercialise.

The patch technology, developed at the University of Queensland’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology, is designed to deliver vaccine into the immune cells in the skin.

Conventional syringes by contrast deliver vaccine into the muscle, where there are fewer immune cells.

Professor Mark Kendall, the inventor of the technology, said it has the potential to be dramatically more effective than conventional needles.

“It [also] has the potential to improve patient convenience, reduce needle-stick injuries and overcome cross-contamination. It is designed for thermostability and may not need refrigeration, potentially making transport much cheaper and easier, particularly in developing nations.”

As a result, the technology could result in better access to vaccines in third-world countries, he said. The billions of dollars spent maintaining the cold-chain for vaccines could also be reinvested towards more pressing global health priorities.

Vaxxas was established by the UQ’s UniQuest to commercialise the vaccine technology.

Pictured: Nanopatch creator Professor Mark Kendall.